The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-29

SOME genius, it is said, has invented an adj
Unstable boot which, by means of
a patent device. gives with every move
ment of the foot and permits the
the pedestrian to receive the full benefit of the
natural strength and 1exibility of his lower ex-
tremites Nothing that any inventor could
contrive would be of such service TO his fellow
creatures foot covering that Is at once
adapted to wet or dry weather and is pliable and
comfortable. Comfort indeed, must be a natur-
al consequence of the pliability. The leather
shoes in ordinary do not meet this want
The 'uppers" of the finer grades soft, it is
true but the soles Objectionable and the
cause of many ills. The evils of paper soles"
have been often enough rehearsed. They are
insufficient protection either from dampness or
from heated pavements In many respects.
however. the much praised heavy soles are little
BETTER in some particulars they are more in
furious to the foot itself if not to the general
health. Bound in a covering, the under part of
which is half an inch or more in thickness and
SO stiff that it bends only with long wearing.
what freedom of movement be hadl The
foot is as flexible the hand, but encased in the
modern shoe it is deprived of half its uses. Its
muscles become enfeebled; pressed fat against
the unyielding leather it loses its elasticity the
instep becomes fattened, joints enlarge and
excrescenses are produced which make the foot
of the average adult an unpleasant object to be-
hold. Whether the new device referred to is
merely variety of the leather shoe or whether
it is of a different material is not stated, but
there is no question that if it fulflls its promise
it will supply a want long and painfully felt.
THE final issue of John Swinton's paper cSal-
tans much that is pathetic, although the words
-.
encouragement which this honest and true
friend of the laboring offers to his readers
are uttered with apparent cheerfulness That
the failure of the people for whom he has spent
the savings of years to appreciate his efforts in
their behalf, and the consequent collapse of his
paper, have caused him bitter disappointment is
betrayed by the following paragraph:
81 cannot let this paper fall into the abyss of
oblivion without making this first and last refer
ence to my wife, who. during the past four
years. has been to me a true and tireiess help
meet under every circumstance, in all the try
ing work that has fallen to my lot The ALI
seeing Eye alone knows the scope and depth OF
these few words.
This is taking the public into his confidence =
little after the manner of the editors Of frontier
weeklies but coming from this cultivated man,
under the peculiar circumstances-thef failure Of
a life's ambition, and the loss of his money-the
silence as an involuntary outburst of emotion
from one whom trials have cut deep.
IT is stated upon apparently good authority
that the American Magazine is about to pass
into the hands of circle Of writers whose
names are not made public A stock company
is to be organized. the stock to be purchased by
these authors. and payment for the same to be
made in the shape of literary contributions to
the periodical The enterprise may be success
full but this is very doubtful. The position Of
editor to the magazine under the proposed cir
cumstances is certainly not one to be desired.
The fate which must befal him if he should
ice; contribution from one of the stockholders
can only be surmised. Perhaps, however, it
will be rule that Everything goes" from the
pens of these persons. If this should be the
case, the sympathetic public can only hope that
no one of them depends upon his magazine div
idends for support